


An Orange Nightlight

by deanz



Category: Naruto
Genre: Chuunin Exams, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Genin Era, M/M, the way sns would comfort each other anyway lmao, well you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 04:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18461051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanz/pseuds/deanz
Summary: Sometimes a little light makes all the difference.





	An Orange Nightlight

**Author's Note:**

> First naruto fic, after all these years :D 
> 
> Been a while since I've done this tho so I'm probably (definitely) rusty. The flow of this fic could stand to be improved I guess but I've been staring at this little thing for like, a week, and I just needed to get it out there.
> 
> Anywho, this is basically an au in which the adults aren't completely 'fuck them kids' and they have one night to rest after the second stage before the preliminaries. A bit of emotional insight abounds!

The Jōnin had allowed them only one night to recuperate, before they had to spend the next day enacting the Preliminary Round. They had only told them passively that they would be expected back at six in the morning sharp. They would be watched and if anyone tried to murder a fellow participant in their sleep, they would be disqualified. On that note, the young shinobi were sent on their merry way, discouraged from asking questions out of sheer exhaustion.

The girls were told to sleep in one half of the building, while the boys were guided to the other. Naruto had remembered how reluctant Sakura had been to leave them, shooting extremely worried looks at Sasuke as she had walked off. Before that though, he had caught them in a corner arguing (or it seemed like it) in hushed, intense tones. He didn’t get about what. All he knew was that Sakura was crying by the end of it and Naruto had promptly stepped in and snapped at Sasuke for it. _That Sasuke! Sakura worries and worries and gives him all of her attention only for him to be such a stupid jerk to her—!_

_“You’re one of the ones I want to fight the most.”_

Then Sasuke had said _that_ , and Naruto was left stunned and pretty speechless. He had been repeating those words in his head again and again, marveling at what they meant.

As Sakura had gone, Sasuke was as dismissive of her as usual, although there was a strange edge to it, and he had given her something of a warning glare before he had sauntered off in the direction the boys were to be housed.

They were expected to share rooms. With their teammates, obviously. And Naruto had initially balked a bit when he was told that meant sharing a room and bunk with Sasuke; but the prospect of finally getting to sleep on a cozy mattress after sleeping on hard ground for days had placated that really.

_“I call top bunk!”_

_“What?”_

_“The top bunk bed! I call dibs!”_

_“…fine, whatever.”_

Naruto had expected more of an argument out of him, but for whatever reason, Sasuke had been distracted. And despite his exhilaration at Sasuke’s acknowledgement earlier, he had a nagging feeling in his gut.

Sasuke had been grabbing at the side of his neck, as if it ached. He had this tired look in his eyes, and Naruto thought yeah, that’s normal, a lot had happened in that forest, most of it nasty, it was no wonder. But...but. He couldn’t help but feel like there was something…off.

He wondered what exactly had happened while he was out cold after fighting the creepy lady with the tongue issues.

He wondered if Sasuke and Sakura were hiding something. Something bad.

*

Naruto had slept for what might’ve been only an hour or two before he was awakened by an audible gasp from the bunk under him.

At Sasuke’s abrupt noise, he was immediately alert, trying to shake off sleep and reorient himself with his surroundings. His first thought was that they were being attacked, and suddenly it was like they were in The Forest of Death again, on edge and expecting violence, acting on trained instinct. He reached for his kunai, pumping his chakra up for a fight; but there was no one there, nothing amiss in their plain room.

Huh.

Alarm quickly turned into annoyance as Naruto prepared himself to yell at Sasuke for waking him up for no reason.

That is, until he heard Sasuke panting heavily.

By the sound of it he was trying to be quiet about it, maybe thinking Naruto was still asleep.

_What the…?_

He sat in his spot for a few seconds wondering what was up. Sasuke’s irregular breaths weren’t stopping. If anything the sound seemed to be getting worse. And worse.

Puzzled and wary, Naruto grabbed the bed railing and ducked his torso under, suddenly nose to nose with his rival.

“Hey Sasuke—”

Sasuke let out a startled yell, their foreheads abruptly crashing into each other before they both balked back, grabbing at their faces in pain.

“OW!”

The boys gave growls of anger before the following tomfoolery ensued:

“WHAT THE HELL’S YOUR PROBLEM?!”

“ _MY_ PROBLEM?! EVER HEARD OF PERSONAL SPACE, YOU LOSER?!”

“I DIDN’T KNOW I’D GET IN YOUR FACE ASSHAT, AND I DIDN’T THINK YOU’D FREAK OUT LIKE A SCAREDY CAT! THAT WAS _YOUR_ FAULT!”

“NO, IT WAS YOUR FAULT! DON’T YOU KNOW HOW TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT SCREWING UP?!”

“SHUT UP!”

“YOU SHUT UP!”

“THE BOTH OF YOU BRATS QUIET DOWN BEFORE YOU WAKE UP THE ENTIRE DAMN BUILDING!”

At the third rough voice from outside the door, they both started and bit their tongues, chastised.

Sasuke let out a low ‘Tch,’ then settled back against the wall. He took a moment to collect himself, then closed his eyes and drawled, “Moron. What did you bug me for, anyway?”

Naruto opened his mouth to tell him what’s what, how _he_ was the one who woke _him_ up, but then paused.

He was shocked at how easily Sasuke had been startled by him, since…well…that just wasn’t Sasuke. Naruto didn’t figure him to be the jumpy type. Ever.

It was dark, so Naruto had to really squint, and he was upside down, so he had to really focus, but he could tell that Sasuke was…pale and in cold sweat. He was trembling lightly. His face was haggard and his hand was on his neck again. _Jeez, has he been sleeping on it wrong or something? Is that it?_

“Hey, what’s wrong with your neck? Does it hurt?”

Sasuke jerkily removed his hand from his collar.

“No. It’s nothing. Just stiff.”

Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

The young Uchiha’s eyes were open again and scanning the dark room, and Naruto just noticed that his Sharingan was out, as if still expecting an attack. As if trying to see something that wasn’t there.

He looked…just really, truly scared.

Ah. So he had a nightmare. That was it. Must have been a bad one too, if it left him this shaken.

Naruto frowned. Scratched his cheek. Squirmed a little.

He wasn’t used to seeing other people…like this. During their more personal moments. Certainly not his rival either.

So Naruto wasn’t quite sure what he should do next.

Knowing him, he didn’t think Sasuke would want to tell him anything (he probably hates that Naruto is seeing him like this at all). And he definitely wouldn’t appreciate any pity, especially not from him, though Naruto didn’t feel like giving it anyway. How are you supposed to chill someone else out from a nightmare?

He remembered when he was small, around eight years old, and he’d had nightmares a few times, because he was dumb enough to read some horror manga he was curious about. How Naruto would wake up disturbed, in his empty house, completely by himself, after having vivid dreams of unsettling or terrifying images. Afraid to look at the foot of his bed for fear of something standing there, or afraid to look out the window for fear of seeing something looking at him through it.

He had had no one to go to. He was alone. Always alone.

Naruto remembered how tiny him would get up with a whimper, and how he would quickly scuttle over to all the light switches. How he would leave all the lamps on in his small but too big for him apartment to keep all the monsters and dangers away.

_I-I…I’m not afraid of anything! Hokage aren’t afraid of monsters, so I’m not afraid of them either! I’m going to be the bravest Hokage! I could beat them all up if I wanted to!_

_…_

_But just in case!_

He would pull his stuffed animals closer and ask them to please please please stay up with him. He would try staring at his house plants, counting all the little leaves, until he got bored enough to go back to sleep.

Hm.

Naruto wondered if Sasuke had actually gone through the same thing as a small kid. If he also woke up shit scared and had no one to go to. If it was worse because it was yet one more reminder that he had lost his parents, his entire clan, forever. If that was exactly what his nightmares were always about.

A sharp huff snapped him out of his musings.

“What are you staring at?” Sasuke asked him, annoyed. His eyes were back to smooth black.

His annoyance only bounced back onto his companion. Whenever Sasuke asked questions it always sounded more like a blunt demand for answers. Despite his unrest, he seemed okay enough that he could still muster up some attitude to throw Naruto's way. Fine! _That_  Naruto knew how to deal with.

“I’m not staring, _stupid_. I’m thinking,” he replied indignantly, crossing his arms.

The sides of Sasuke’s mouth slightly twitched upwards. “You? Thinking? That’s a first.”

“Bah, shut up! I _do_ have a brain like _everyone_ else!”

“Barely.”

“Why you—!”

“Don’t yell again. You’ll draw others’ attention and I don’t feel like dealing with that kind of headache right now.”

Normally, Naruto would’ve yelled at him anyway. But the grim exhaustion on Sasuke’s face made him hold his tongue. Just this once. _Only_ because he had a nightmare. He turned away with a harrumph, scowling and mumbling, “Don’t tell me what to do.”

After that, they were both silent for a few moments, shifting uncomfortably.

“Go back to sleep,” Sasuke said, sounding more in control. “Don’t waste the night jabbering. Rest or you won’t be effective tomorrow.”

Naruto looked at him again. _Really_ looked at him.

Saw that Sasuke was still looking a bit haunted. Like he was trying really hard not to lose the calm he just found.

“Tell that to yourself! Maybe I don’t _feel_ like sleeping,” Naruto said haughtily, then looked him right in the eye and started grinning. “Besides, doesn’t matter if I rest or not. I’d still win against _anyone_!”

Sasuke focused a stare on him. He blinked a bit, the way someone would when they were trying to adjust to light after being in the dark for so long.

Then his eyes brightened. Became a little clearer. Like he had realized what Naruto was really saying.

He let out a sigh. It could’ve been one of exasperation or relief. Naruto couldn’t tell, but he guessed it was the former. It usually was.

“You’re so tiresome,” Sasuke said, turning his face away after a small shrug. “Do whatever you want…loser.”

Same old insults, but his tone was soft. Fond.

With that, Naruto gave him one more determined grin and finally hauled himself back to his bed. Stared at the ceiling. May or may not have kept making subtle signs that he was still awake every few minutes.

After about half an hour, he could tell his teammate had gone back to sleep, when he heard the rhythmic rise and fall of his breath. When the room felt a little quieter, even when they had been saying nothing at all.

Satisfied, Naruto went back to sleep as well, thinking about the contented smile Sasuke had given him back in earnest.

**Author's Note:**

> i love genin!sns ;_;


End file.
